Thill-supporter.



No. 868,969. PATBNTBD 0011.22. 190m P. 'A.' cnocxnn. THILL SUPPORTEK,

APPLICATION FILED HOV-3. 1905.

FRED A. OROGKER, OF LINCOLN, MAINE.

THILL-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed November 3, 1906. $erial No. 341,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. CROCKER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident ofLinc0111, Penobscot county, Maine, (whose post-office address is Lincoln Center, Maine) have invented a certain new and useful Thin-Supporter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicles and has for its object the construction of a device for supporting the thills or shafts in a raised position out of the way, such as is desired when the vehicle is not in use.

Said device is so constructed and arranged that the thills may thereby be readily locked and supported in any raised position required and may be as readily released.

In accordance with this invention the thill-supporter consists of a retaining rod so bent at each end and secured thereat to the under side, and preferably near the center of the forward end of the body of the vehicle, and lengthwise thereof, that another part of said device called the arm slides readily backward and forward thereon. Said arm is constructed of a flat metal rod bent at its rearward end as applied to a vehicle at nearly a right angle, said bent end being bored to allow said retaining rod to pass therethrough and retain and guide the rearward end of said arm and as it slides longitudinally along said retaining rod. Said arm is perforated with adjusting holes along a considerable part of its length, designed to engage another part of said device called a catch pro vided with a shouldered end and secured to the under side of the crossbar of the thills of the vehicle, practically in alinement with said retaining red, when said thills are elevated and said arm is drawn forward until the rearward end thereof reaches the forward end of said retaining rod, and the forward end of said arm is raised upward, locking and holding the thills securely in their raised position. Said catch is made integral with a small metal base or button and projects nearly at a right angle therefrom: said button is secured crosswise to said crossbar by means of screws passing through said button and driven into said crossbar. The rearward part of said retaining rod as applied to the vehicle is bent at a slight angle upward leaving a short portion at its end lying in the same vertical plane and parallel to the main part of said rod pressed flat and bored through said end to admit screws or bolts whereby it is screwed to the vehicle. A compression spiral spring encircles the rearward end of said rod at its bent part whose office will hereinafter be explained. Said retaining rod is bent vertically near its forward end in a small half circle or loop, leaving a short portion of said end which is bent laterally at right angles to the main part of said rod, and secured to the vehicle in the same manner as the rearward end thereof. The forward end of said arm is bent downward and upward in a little more than a half circle forming a handle and having one side cut away forming a hook adapted, when said arm is not in use and shoved backward on said retaining rod against said spiral spring, to engage said semicircular part of said rod, locking and holding said arm securely, and preventing all vibrating or rattling thereof.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section through forward portion of a vehicle showing my invention as applied thereto; Figs. 2 and 3, perspective views of the rod and arm mechanism in locked and unlocked position respectively; Fig. 4, a detail.

The letter (1 denotes the axletree of an ordinary vehicle, and b the thills pivotally connected or hinged thereto in the usual manner, and c the retaining rod secured to the under side of the forward end of the body d of the vehicle by bolts or screws passing through 'to engage loop 0 of retaining rod 0, locking and securely holding said arm when not in use and pushed backward on said retaining rod against and compressing spiral spring f on retaining rod 0, whose elastic force prevents the disengagement of said hook 6 and also all vibration and rattling of said arm a. Said arm 6 has also formed in it, adjusting holes 0 designed to engage catch 9, a projection of button h attached to the under side of the crossbar i of said thills b when said arm e is in use, as will be described'and as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The thill supporting device consists of a metal retaining rod 0 to be rigidly secured to the front end of the under side of the body d of a vehicle, and preferably near the center thereof, and an arm a permanently connected to said retaining rod 0, and a catch g having a shouldered end g, made integral with button h, rigidly secured to the under side of the crossbar i of the thills b, and arranged to lie practically in the same vertical plane with said retaining rod 0, so that when said thills b are elevated to their desired height, and said arm e is drawn forward and raised nearly vertically, said adjusting holes a will readily engage said catch 9 and lock together, supporting the thills in their raised position. Said catch 9 and button h are constructed of a single piece of metal, said catch 9 projecting at nearly right angles from the forward end of the lower surface of said button h, as secured to said crossbar 1' of the thills b, and has formed on its end a shouldered part g as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, adapted to engage and lock said catch 9 and arme securely together. bored. through its ends to admit screws or bolts to pass therethrough, securely attaching said button h cross- Said button h is provided with holes h wise to said crossbar "L. A spiral spring f encircles the rearward bent end c of the retaining rod 0, designed to prevent the accidental disengagement of said hook e of said arm e and said loop 0 of retaining rod 0, and also to prevent all vibration of said arm a.

The thill-supporter is operated as follows: The tliills are raised to the desired elevation and the forward bent end or handle a of arm 6 is grasped with the hand and pressed backward so as to overcome the resisting iorce oi the spiral spring f at the rearward bent end e of said arm 0, when the hook e of handle 0 of said arm 6 can be easily-released from loop 6- of retaining rod 0 and drawn readily forward the rearward bent end c of said arm a sliding easily on said retaining rod 0 until it reaches said loop 0' of said retaining rod 0, and is thereby prevented from further motion in said direction, whereupon the forward end of said arm a is raised upward, and said adjusting hole 0* thereof brought in contact with and slipped over the shouldered end g of catch 9 secured to the underside of the crossbar i ol' the thills, thereby locking together said arm 6 and said catch 9 and supporting the thills.

To release the thills, they are slightly raised in their locked position, taking all strain off said arm 6, when said arm a is readily disengaged from said catch g by a reversal of the locking process, releasing the thills.

In a thill support the combination of a metal retaining rod rigidly secured to the under side of a vehicle body; a spiral spring encircling the rearward bent end of said rod, the forward end thereof being bent to form a. half circle or loop; a flat metal arm having its rearward end bent at nearly a right angle and provided with a hole there-at, and aforesaid metal retaining rod passing through said hole permanent connection between the two being afforded thereby, its forward end bent, making a handle one side of which is cut away to form a hook, and said arm being provided with adjusting holes a catch provided with a shouldered end and made integral with a base which is rigidly secured to under side of the crossbar of the thills and adapted to adjustably engage aforesaid arm by means of the holes therein as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed by me at Lincoln, Maine, this 31st day of October A. D. 1906.

FRED A. CROCKER.

Witnesses Framers BABCOCK, G150. W. GRIFFIN. 

